Dolphins go into their Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) 2014 encounter against the might of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after losing the game against Perth Scorchers under extraordinary circumstances. R Vishal discusses the possible line-up for the game.
Dolphins look to open their account in the CLT20 after losing their previous encounter against Perth Scorchers through Mitchell Marsh’s extraordinary assault on Robbie Frynlick, when his team needed 12 from the last two balls. The Dolphins hardly put a foot wrong otherwise. The batting was solid, the fielding was tidy and the latter overs saw the bowlers bowling tight lines, wearing the Scorchers batsmen down before Marsh’s heroics gave T20 fans a new dimension to the term ‘last gasp finish’. The Dolphins have been one of the better sides in South Africa’s Ram Slam and should avoid going for changes and upsetting the balance of the team solely on the basis of two bad balls towards the end of the match.
Batting: If the Dolphins decide to make changes, it is the batting that they need to look into as three early wickets put them on the backfoot straight away. However the top three of Morne van Wyk, Cameron Delport and Cody Chetty are very much the mainstay of the team. While Joel Paris’s unpredictability outfoxed the top order, pace is a weak link in the otherwise formideble Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ranks and if the top three can set the pace at the top, Dolphins can fire away to a good total as they have the batsmen who can handle the death overs lower down the order. The middle order comprising of Keshav Mahraj, Khaya Zondo and Daryn Smit scored almost all the runs for their side and form the backbone of the batting order. A lot rides on the trio clicking. No changes here and the top six remains the same.
Bowling: The lionhearted Kyle Abbott will spearhead the bowling attack and the other pacers Craig Alexander and Frynlick will join Abbott in attack. The team is built around pace and the CSK batsmen love to face the faster bowlers and this is where the young attack will be tested to hilt. Irrespective of what the batsmen can offer, the pacers have to be spot on with their lengths on the wickets that are on offer or risk getting carted around by Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis and MS Dhoni. The bowling lacked variety in the previous game and the team management should consider bringing in Prenelan Subrayan into the side with spin playing such a crucial role in the subcontinent.
Changes: Vaughn van Jaarsveld was ineffective in the previous game and Subrayan should get the nod ahead of him. The bowling is a settled unit otherwise. The other possible change is featuring Jonathan Vandiar as a specialist batsman if the top order collapse has managed to send an air of panic in the team. Vandiar, however is more suited to the longer formats of the game. The rest of the team is expected to be the same as the one that played against Scorchers.
Likely playing XI: Morne van Wyk (c&wk), Cameron Delport, Cody Chetty, Keshav Maharaj, Khaya Zondo, Daryn Smit, Prenelan Subrayan, Andile Phelukwayo, Robbie Frynlick, Kyle Abbott, Craig Alexander
(R Vishal is a journalist, beach lover, Chelsea FC fan and a wannabe globetrotter. Being a loyal student of the Tariq Iqbal school of cricket stopped him from fulfilling his dream of becoming a cricketer. Now, he just writes and talks about the game; He can be followed on Twitter @vishhell)
This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Strictly Necessary Cookies
Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.
If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.